Ejector vending mechanism



E, H. DANIELSON ETAL EJECTOR VENDING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 22, 1963 June 7, 1966 BY fia/mze/ M. Waaj Z I United States Patent 3,254,792 EJECTOR VENDTNG MECHANISM Ellsworth H. Danielson, Overland Park, Kans., and Samuel M. Waas, Kansas City, Mo., assignors to Selectivend Corporation, a corporation of Missouri Filed Nov. 22, 1963, Ser. No. 325,643 1 Claim. (Cl. 221-14) This invention relates to product vending mechanisms and refers more particularly to a piston or plunger type ejector for separating articles to be vended from tiers or rows of a storage magazine, which articles are fed by gravity or mechanically advanced through the storage magazine of a vending machine.

The ejector is adapted for use where any type of product is delivered to a customer from a machine, including canned goods, package materials or any type of product that can be automatically vended.

Heretofore articles have been removed from tiers, shelves or rows of a storage compartment or magazine of a vending machine through doors, gates, barriers or by arms of different sorts actuated upon the deposit of a coin by the customer. Some such dispensing devices have given satisfaction but more are either too complicated and expensive to manufacture and service, others are easily robbed or pilfered and some are rendered inoperative when refrigeration is employed as a result of the freezing and thawing of moisture accumulated in the machine. Theinstant invention reduces to a minimum the operating parts necessary for dispensing the products vended.

An object, therefore, is to provide an ejector which is positive in its action and employs but a single plunger to separate the article from the storage facility and delivers it directly to the customer.

While the embodiment shown and described is particularly adapted to the vending of canned goods, the invention is applicable as well to all sorts of packaged products so long as they can be delivered either by gravity or mechanically onto the ejector mechanism located at the outlets of the magazine compartments.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part of the instant specification and are to be read in conjunction therewith, is shown diagrammatically an embodiment of the invention, like reference numerals being used to indicate like parts in the various views.

FIG. 1 is a partial front view of a can vending machine taken along the line 1-1 in FIG. 2, with parts broken away and parts in section.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view taken along the line 22 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a detail of the ejector assembly and sold-out actuator.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, at 16 is shown the insulated walls enclosing the magazine or storage compartments and vending mechanism of a coin operated vending machine. The storage facility or magazine is divided by vertical panels 11 into compartments, each equipped in the embodiment shown with inclined or slant shelves 12 supported in the casing by riveting or otherwise fastening flanges formed by turning down the edges of the shelves to the compartment walls and panels. On the shelves 12 are loaded cans 13 and where soft drinks are being vended, as here, a different flavor or type of drink may be loaded into each compartment or tier.

The cans are gravity fed, as shown, from the upper shelves to the bottom or lowest shelf of the tier from which they are vended. In a conveyor type machine the 'ice articles, whether they be cans or packages, are moved either horizontally or vertically by mechanical conveyors which feed the products being vended from storage to a delivery ejector.

The bottom or lowest shelf 12 of each tier has an upturned end or stop 12:: against which the can to be vended abuts prior to being ejected. The bottom shelf is slotted centrally to receive the downturned end 14a of a sold-out actuator 14, comprising a plate or strip pivoted at the slot to lie fiat upon the shelf, as shown in FIG. 2, when prodv ucts occupy the shelf but tipped to a raised position, as shown in FIG. 3, when the product in the her is exhausted.

A transverse angle member 15 beneath the bottom of each shelf serves as a top for the'down turned end 14a of the pivoted actuator 14. The end 14a of the actuator is also contacted by a slidable head or follower 16a of a switch 16 which, by means of an electrical circuit, illuminates a light bulb, not shown, visible before each tier outside of the machine, indicating when the product within that tier is exhausted. A spring within the switch 16 is compressed when the weight of the cans flattens strip 14 against the shelf 12 thereby breaking the circuit to the light bulb. When the weight of the cans is removed by selling out the product from a compartment or tier the spring in switch 16 expands forcing head 16a against member 14a causing the free end 14 of the actuator to tip upwardly. This completes the circuit in switch 16 and lights the bulb in front of this particular compartment. The switch 16 is also connected to, at the same, deactivate the ejector assembly.

The ejector assembly for raising the can to be vended over stop 12a for discharge through trough 17, port 18 and onto vending receptacle 19 is a plunger or push rod arrangement 2t! suitably wound to form the armature of a solenoid cylinder 21. The ejection of the cans abutting stop 12a is accomplished by energizing solenoid 21 through an electric circuit transmitted through wires 22, causing plunger 21 to travel from the full line position to the dotted line position shown in FIG. 2. Micro switch 23 interrupts the current to the solenoid at the top of its stroke, permitting it to drop back into the lowered position in sleeve 24 closed at its bottom end by cotter pin 25. Across the top of plungers 20 are saddles or yokes 26 substantially the length of the cans and upon which the cans to be ejected rest until actuation of a plunger. The trajectory and travel of the can during vending from its position against the stop 12 to its delivery into receptacle 19 is indicated by a series of dotted circles and partial circles in FIG. 2. To divert the cans upward travel caused by plunger 20 and shift its direction into the delivery trough 17 a baffle 26 is located above each plunger. Trough 17 runs transversely of the cabinet across the end of the bottom shelf of each compartment and is inclined to carry the cans vended from each tier to discharge port 18 and delivery receptacle 19.

From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all of the ends and objects hereinabove set forth together with other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the structure.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that 'all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described our invention, We claim:

A vending machine comprising an inclined shelf for holding vendable articles and having an upturned lower end providing a stop,

a delivery trough adjacent and below said stop,

a solenoid assembly positioned under said shelf and including a reciprocable plunger operable to engage the underside of an article adjacent said stop and raise same,

guide means for guidinga raised article over said stop and into said trough,

article sensing means on the upper side of said shelf connected with said solenoid assembly and operable to deactivate said solenoid assembly upon exhaustion of the supply of articles from said shelf,

said sensing means including a plate member underlying said articles and pivoted at one end thereof,

means biasing said plate upwardly against the articles,

and

switch means actuated responsive to upward displacement of said plate.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Smith 221-261 X Crecelius 221261 X Farmer 2216 X Carlson 221258 X Stiller 221--6 X Nordquist 221-6 X Chazen 221-129 X Wingate et a1. 221111 Great Britain.

pivotal 15 RAPHAEL M. LUPO, Primary Examiner.

KENNETH N. LEIMER, Examiner. 

